A question of paint

[skyhunter]

So, I am rebuilding a 1916 speedster and want to do the custom body in the dark blue. My question is I am also doing the chassis in blue and going on the I know in 1914 they made them all black. I am thinking of also doing the frame and wheels in blue as I think it would just look odd black and blue.

But for other parts, like steering column and coil box etc. should they be black (I know the engine should be and that side of the firewall) and would a semi-gloss black (Eastwood makes on called under hood black) be good. I did one part in gloss black, and it has that wet look.

Anyway, interested in your thoughts.

[Kerry]

You posted 2 things that it would not matter what color you paint it, A, a speedster and B, custom body, so whatever appeals to your taste.

[skyhunter]

I guess really, I am wondering if today's gloss black (that looks soaking wet and shiny when dry) was that what the Japan black or whatever it was called, looked like. Or is there a better match or is that as close as we can get now.

[TWrenn]

I guess really, I am wondering if today's gloss black (that looks soaking wet and shiny when dry) was that what the Japan black or whatever it was called, looked like. Or is there a better match or is that as close as we can get now.

PPG Concept Gloss back single stage urethane will give you a great glossy finish. Don't want it "too glossy" and "over restored" looking?

[KWTownsend]

Its a speedster and your car, so do what you want to do.

FYI, 1911 and 1912 cars had black chassis with midnight blue body, fenders, and wheels. Some of the most beautiful cars built!

: ^ )

[skyhunter]

I guess really, I am wondering if today's gloss black (that looks soaking wet and shiny when dry) was that what the Japan black or whatever it was called, looked like. Or is there a better match or is that as close as we can get now.

PPG Concept Gloss back single stage urethane will give you a great glossy finish. Don't want it "too glossy" and "over restored" looking?

Thanks, that's what I did not like about the Rust Oleum gloss black. I thought there had to be something between the high gloss of that and the not enough gloss of Eastwood's under hood black.

[jiminbartow]

I would paint it with the best available, high gloss modern paint you can find. You should not settle on an inferior semi-gloss paint just because in 1916 they did not have the paint technology to achieve the glossiness we get out of modern paints today. Had they had it, they would have used it. Back then they used the best paint that was available, just as you should use the best paint that is available to you. The shinier, the better.

[skyhunter]

Its a speedster and your car, so do what you want to do.

FYI, 1911 and 1912 cars had black chassis with midnight blue body, fenders, and wheels. Some of the most beautiful cars built!

: ^ )

I get that. But with the speedster style I am going with there would be no fenders or splash aprons so the frame and such would be more noticeable. Going to do the whole thing in dark blue, going to look at the Benz Blue DB 904. White numbers, logos and pinstripes. The passenger compartment side and floor will be in oil-stained white oak boards rather than plywood.

[TRDxB2]

Too shinny and undercarriage makes a Model T look over restored. Many suggestions have been a satin finish or maybe semi-gloss but not flat black.
If you trying to make a period looking speedster, that's not intended to be in a museum, don't make it too glosy. A friend of mine that has a Model A high boy that I want really bad is black primer. His logic is that when teenagers were building these hot rods & had a few extra bucks would they spend it on paint or performance accessory.

[Professor Fate]

Highly recommended. My '26 is looking great a few years after being painted.

[Susanne]

Rustoleum actually is a pretty decent paint, and it comes in colors that are authentic for the era... and can be bought in quarts. I forgot what you can use for a reducer / hardener, but you can end up with a better than average finish. (They did a Rustoleum Auto Paint Challenge on Youtube somewhere)...

It all depends on the type of speedster you're building... serious here... If it was the quick and low budget speedster (pulled the body off the old touring, slapped seats and a gas tank and a shell on it, and slapped whatever paint they could find on the body) leave the chassis black. OR you can paint the chassis out however you desire... After all, it's a speedster/racer, so you're held to a different standard, which is part of the allure of a T race car - you can modify it as you wish.

Likely, it would have been repainted whatever color the owner desired... Especially if you have "high dollar" goodies on it (Muncie or Warford, Fronty or Rajo head, etc.) that took some work and disassembly to install, the car would have come apart to do this... so yeah, why NOT paint the running gear to match the car?

BTW - you have a LOT of choices of colors... my favorite examples are Flying Merkel Yellow, Thomas Flyer Bright Green, and Indian Red... ALL the surviving samples of these weren't anywhere close to "satiny", "matte", or "muted"... they were bright, shiny, showy colors. And Ford Black enamel - was VERY glossy, you only have to see pix of the new cars in a dealership or comig off a train to see this. The first "satiny" paints were Pyroxylin, and even THAT could be buffed... Just don't go metallic or pearlescent candy apple.

Bottom line, it's a era-correct customized car, so you can paint it however you wish. You do NOT have to follow ANY convention... that's the great thing about Speedsters, you can do with them as you wish.

[jiminbartow]

This fender was painted 13 years ago with Rustoleum High Gloss Appliance Epoxy. This is one coat. There was no need for a second coat. I used one can and a little bit of a second can I had ready and sprayed, continuing to spray over areas of overspray until the entire fender was wet. As Wyatt Earp said in an interview in which he was asked “what makes a successful gunfighter?” “You take your time in a hurry.” That is the approach to this type of painting. Go fast enough with several passes to get the paint thick enough to have a nice smooth uniform finish without runs and don’t try to do too big an area at one time. This fender is about the maximum size to achieve this type of result. Better to keep the area smaller, rather than larger. If you try to do too much, the overspray will start to cure before you can get back with another pass to re-wet and build up the coat.

The only people, with Appliance Epoxy is it comes in only 3 colors. Black, White and Almond, but Rustoleum has a wide variety of colors in their other types of paints.

If you are on a limited budget, you can do the car in manageable increments such as one fender ant a time, the hood, one door ant a time, etc., and get a very nice result. Jim Patrick

[skyhunter]

I just started taking off the old red that the speedster was painted. Well, it was red with white from the frame and on down. The steering column was brass under the red. After working on it today I am now certain I want the whole thing dark blue, other than everything under the hood.

This doodle I did is what I am hoping to end up with. My friend has a hot rod shop and is an insane metal bender.

Wee Speedster Pen.jpg (35.03 KiB) Viewed 1603 times

[Norman Kling]

Ford did not offer a speedster from the factory, so they were all custom cars and built any way the owner wanted to do. The colors, likewise, were any color available at the time they were built. So Paint it any color you would like. Just be sure you use a paint made for exterior. Inside paints don't do well out in the weather. Chose a color you are happy with and paint it. If you decide you want to paint parts of it or all of it another color, you can always repaint it.
Norm